Sessions urges House to stand strong against immigration reform

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said Thursday that House Republicans shouldn’t take up the bipartisan Senate immigration bill because it harms American workers.

Sessions' comments came moments after President Obama delivered a speech calling once again on the House to do something on immigration reform. The Senate passed a bipartisan bill that would spend nearly $30 billion on border security, increase guest worker visas and provide a pathway to citizenship for some already within the United States without documentation.

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“The president said he has not heard any good reason to oppose the Senate bill. Clearly, he has not listened to the ICE and USCIS officers warning that the bill would permanently undermine enforcement,” Sessions said. “Here are three more reasons: the Senate bill will lower wages, increase unemployment, and reduce per-capita GNP [Gross National Product].”

House Republicans have shown little interest in taking up the Senate bill or advancing their own immigration reforms.

Sessions, who opposed the Senate legislation, has said the bill caters to special interests while harming U.S. workers.

“This is a defining moment for the House Republicans,” Sessions said. “They must decide who they represent: certain activist CEOs lobbying Congress, or the national interest and the millions of Americans struggling to get by in this low job, low wage economy.”